Improved method of fitting the bows of vessels



VUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN BARSTONOF NEV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED METHOD OF FITTINGTHE BOWS OF VESSELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 7,469, dated July 2,1850.

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN BARsTow, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in theMethod of Constructing the Bows of Ships or other Vessels; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXactdescription of my invention and of the manner of making, constructing,and using the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making part of this speci ication, in which- Figure l is a sideelevation of the bow of a ship; and Fig. 2, a horizontal sectionthereof, taken at the line A a of Fig. 1.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

Themodes hereto fore practiced of constructing the bow of ships or othervessels is to secure the ends of the outer planking either to the inneredge of the stem or cut-water or to an apron attached to the inner faceof the stem,and as the stem or cut-water is more than any other part ofthe ship exposed to shocks from the waves or from shot, or by reason ofstrikingagainst anv solid obstruction, it follows that any seriousstrain which it may receive tends to open the seams at the junction ofthe outer planking with the stem or apron, and hence to spring a leak orleaks, and in the event of the stem being carried away the loss of theship becomes almost inevitable.

The object of my invention is to avoid this defect by so constructingthe bow that the cutwater may be much strained or even carried awaywithout doing any material injury to the bow of the ship.

The nature of myinvention consists in making the cut-water of greaterthickness or breadth than the forward part of the stem to leave a spaceby each side for the receiving of sheathing-timber to cover and protectthe forward part of the outer planking, and which also admits of givingbetter lines for the passage of the bow through the water.

In the accompanying drawings, ct represen ts the keel, to the forwardend of which the stem b is secured in the 'usual way. This stempiece hasrabbets c c made on each side and commencing a short distance back ofthe forward face, which rebbets are to be equal in depth to thethickness of the outerplanking, and the face of these rebbets are inthelinesintended to be given tothe bow, so that the ends of the plankingd may be properly secured to them, Hence the inner part of the stem ismuch wider than the forward or outer part thereof.

The cut-water e is fitted and secured to the forward face of the stem bymeans of bolts or by any other appropriate means, and above the upperline of the keel its rear edge is made wider or thicker than the stem,so as to project on each side thereof, as shown at g1g, thus making thecut-water wedge-formed and leaving a recess on each side of the forwardpart of the stem, which is filled in with sheathing-pieces h h, whichcover and protect the forward ends of the plankings, and` which at thesame time admit of giving proper lines for the better passage of theforward part of the bow through the water.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Making the rear edge of the cut-water to project on each side of thestem to forma recess on each side, substantially as described,

in combination with the sheathing-pieces which fill up such recesses,and which cover and protect the ends of the plankings, and which alsoadmit of giving better lines for the passage of the bow of the ship orother vessel through the water, substantially as described.

BENJAMIN B ARSTOXV.

Witnesses:

A. P. BROWNE, CAUSA. BROWNE. 4

